I always knew Margaret was very ill but not because she would ever talk about it. Any time that you ever got to spend with her made all conversations about her her condition hard to believe. She had a tremendous will to live each day to a full and usually exhausting end.  She was the most optimistic human being I’ve ever known. Margaret always thought everything was possible with hard work and faith.

She would always say that the most important influences in her life were the love of her family, her mother and her God. And he was her God, her ‘boss’ (she had one), her ‘JC’ and often spoke of him as though her work in the Mission district of San Francisco was a collaborative effort between the two of them.

So when Margaret did finally pass away at the beginning of February I was sad but pretty sure she was not only giving her ‘JC’ a few ideas, she was spending quality time with one of the three great loves of her life, her husband Frank, or ‘the saint’ as she had always called him.

Every once in a while, when I’m a bit too tired or frustrated with all the work it takes to make this film, I remember Margaret. I can even hear her saying ‘c’mon, let’s go, let’s get this done!’

I do miss my friend.